The new flavors that are taking over the holidays

By Danielle Braff, Special to Blue Sky
Nov. 26, 2013, 5:15 p.m.

Ordering a standard latte just isn’t going to cut it for many Americans anymore. These days, most people want pumpkin spice added to their espresso, whisky in their chicken and a bit of salt in their dessert – and all those flavor innovations and product-line extensions add up to big bucks for those who figure out how to newly stimulate our tastebuds.

In a new report by Technomic, a food industry consulting company, 37 percent of consumers said they are more interested in trying new flavors now than they were last year, and 41 percent said that they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers new or innovative flavors.

“Innovation contributes to staying relevant to consumers,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic.

So what flavors will we be seeing next?

Whiskey, but not in a glass: According to Technomic, bourbon or whiskey-infused flavors are not mainstream yet for pork, chicken or steak, but they’ve been a growing trend and are considered to be emerging flavors that are drawing interest in restaurants.

Sweet and savory: Salted hot chocolate. Caramel nuts. Bacon ice-cream. Sweet flavors pair with the largest number of other flavors, according to Technomic. They go well with sour, savory, smoky and spicy profiles. They also create more depth in other flavors, said Ed Doyle, president of RealFood Consulting. When Doyle worked at a high-end hotel, the most popular dish ordered in conjunction with the chocolate buffet was French fries. “People loved salty with the chocolate,” Doyle said.

Spice it on up: For the first time ever, a majority of consumers said that they prefer hot or spicy sauces, dips or condiments to mild ones. Jalapeño peppers, habanero peppers and Sriracha sauces are increasingly popular. But expect to see menus expand with other varieties of peppers and chili sauces including ancho peppers to emphasize bolder and deeper flavors, Tristano said. It ties into the social trend that everything is extreme, Doyle said: “It’s people looking to take flavor profiles to the next level."

New twists on pumpkin: Pumpkin has long been a holiday treat two months a year, but the pumpkin spice latte pushed its prevalence into a four-month season. “The demand has grown exponentially, and it now continues through the end of the year,” said Marc Schulman, president of Eli’s Cheesecake, which has added variations such as Pumpkin Praline cheesecake and pumpkin tarts. Pumpkin is available throughout the supermarket in the form of Planters Pumpkin Spice Almonds, Jell-O Pudding Pumpkin Spice Dry Packaged Dessert, Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pumpkin Spice and Jet-Puffed Jumbo Pumpkin Mallows.

The great pumpkin push: It took a flavor innovators and aggressive marketing to move the pumpkin into your coffee. "Whether it’s Dunkin Donuts with pumpkin coffee – they’re going to try to get as much shelf life with it as they can," Doyle said. "These large retail chains .. are driving the flavor profiles. Once they find something that works, they’re going to try to find a return on their investment." Peppermint seems poised to make the next push – but it’s not quite there yet. It's in holiday Oreos already.

Turkey with some heat: Holiday tables follow the trends too – and this means that many are adding a spicy rub to their Thanksgiving turkey, said Mary Clingman, director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. The Spicy Rub recipe on their website is packed with chili powder and red pepper flakes. Other people like to add pumpkin stuffing. Deep-frying turkey is still popular. “We’ve seen more and more people begin to use this cooking method on Thanksgiving,” Clingman said. “People love getting outside during the holidays, so it’s a great cooking method to allow the whole family to be outside and enjoy the day.”

Breakout flavor of the year: Just like pumpkin, ginger can be spicy and sweet and subtle – and it’s posed to be the next big thing. Younger consumers see it as a natural, healthy, fresh ingredient, Tristano said. It’s the 2013 star in terms of growth in U.S. menus, and has been a hit in savory and sweet foods – making appearances in soups, coleslaw, glazes, sauces and in alcoholic beverages.

Keep an eye out for sour: This trend emerged in the candy aisle many years ago with Sour Patch Kids and other tangy candy that made kids suck in their cheeks. It moved to frozen yogurt when more tart Pinkberry took the lead over TCBY, Tristano said. With kimchi and Asian flavors increasing in popularity in the United States, more sour flavors may show up in mainstream American dishes, Tristano said.

Fall for vodka: Leading fall flavors this year are caramel, apple, cinnamon, cranberry and pumpkin – but vodka companies reported that their best selling flavors were pumpkin. Last year’s favorite at Pinnacle was the Pumpkin Pie Vodka, and they brought it back this year – in addition to launching Pecan Pie, Peachberry Cobbler, Salted Caramel and Caramel Apple. This year, 19.4 million 9-liter cases of flavored vodka were produced, up from 14.1 million in 2010.

Drinks without the mixing: Like prepared food, we will be seeing more completed drinks in a bottle. “Call it convenience cocktails – consumers want to be able to have interesting alcoholic drinks without the trouble of actually pouring a combination of beverages in a glass,” said Dan Macey, principal of Dantasticfood, Inc., a food and beverage consultant and food stylist. “The idea of flavored alcoholic drinks has impacted the soda industry with more flavor combinations being tried and accepted.” The newest nonalcoholic twist: Sprite Cranberry.

Not so much: Some flavors that seem like they would hit the mark just don’t fully take hold. Acai and pomegranate were two of those, Doyle said. “From a mainstream point of view, they didn’t seem to make it,” he said. They were seasonal, healthy, fresh and tasty. They could be added to drinks and mixed well with other ingredients. “But it’s going to take the stars to align to penetrate,” Doyle said. “People are always looking for something new, and every fruit association on the planet is trying to find a new health benefit for the consumer. These things will continue to move through the marketplace.”